FEMA aid for Ventura County residents unlikely after storm damages 400 homes, officials say

Federal disaster grants look unlikely for local residents hit hard by a late December storm, officials said this week.

The Dec. 21 deluge damaged more than 400 residential properties, most in the coastal cities of Port Hueneme and Oxnard, said Patrick Maynard, director of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services. Many lived outside of flood zones and were uninsured for the damage. They include seniors on fixed incomes and low-income families.

“We know and understand the level of need in our community,” Maynard said. “We need the federal government’s financial support to help these victims recover.”

But without more widespread damage, the areas may not qualify for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's individual assistance program, local officials were told. The program can help residents with costs from temporary rental expenses to home repairs. Both Oxnard and Port Hueneme declared local emergencies and requested the disaster assistance.

State officials, however, advised the county that there's a threshold of 1,200 severely damaged or destroyed structures to qualify. With numbers far below that mark, it is unlikely the state will make a request to FEMA for individual assistance, Maynard said.

Ventura County businesses, residents may get loans for storm damage

This week, county supervisors unanimously agreed to send a letter to the director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, urging her to support local efforts to seek federal disaster relief for residents.

Supervisor Matt LaVere called the rules archaic — ones that look at the number of houses damaged but not the intensity of the damage or the number of people affected.

“We have seen communities devastated,” he said.

Roughly 200 residential properties had up to 6 inches of flooding inside a structure. Nearly 50 received more than 18 inches of flooding inside homes. Some neighborhoods reported floodwaters reached as high as 3 or 4 feet.

More than 600 vehicles also were damaged or destroyed, which may be a record in the county.

Low-interest loans through the federal Small Business Administration are expected to soon be available for residents and businesses affected by the storm. But that may not be enough, officials said. Some residents may not have money to pay back a loan.

No 'magic wand' to get FEMA aid for Ventura County storm damage

Cal OES officials said earlier this week that the agency is still assessing the situation.

Spokesman Brian Ferguson called it an active and ongoing conversation, saying state officials want to support the community to maximize aid. The OES director cannot sign something or "raise a magic wand" and get FEMA assistance, which requires a presidential declaration, he said. If the federal requirements are not met, there may be other state programs that could help, he said.

But there is no state individual assistance to help residents pay for uninsured losses in California. That is something Ferguson said has been proposed many times over the past several decades, but efforts have failed.

Another option could be one-time state funding to assist residents, Maynard said. In their letter, county supervisors urged state officials to explore options for one-time funding that would establish a local grant program for residents.

The governor could propose such an allocation. But that's not typically done and local officials say they don't know how likely it would be given the state budget deficit.

Cal OES has agreed to forward the county's request for one-time funding to the governor’s office and to try to find other ways to get the area assistance, Maynard said.

A record-breaking downpour in Southern California

After severe storms last January, the county's damage also was below the thresholds, but residents did qualify for FEMA assistance. In that case, storms caused damage in multiple counties throughout the state. Together, the numbers reached above the mark.

Early on Dec. 21, more than 3 inches of rain in less than an hour pummeled Oxnard and Port Hueneme. Calls for people trapped by quickly rising floodwaters swamped emergency dispatch centers.

“We look for an inch of rain an hour to cause a debris flow,” Maynard told supervisors this week. “In this case, we saw three times that amount of rain.”

Dozens and dozens of units owned by seniors were damaged in just one Port Hueneme community, City Manager James Vega said. He said officials continue to work on finding disaster assistance.

Right now, residents are sitting in damaged homes trying to figure out how to recover, Vega said. The sad thing is, "I don't have an answer right now for how we're going to help them."

For updates or more information about Small Business Administration loans, go to vcemergency.com. Residents also may call 211 to find resources such as help with cleanup, debris removal, temporary shelter and food.

Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: FEMA aid for Oxnard, Port Hueneme unlikely, officials say